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Sterling Lions Club is bringing the Ensight van to northeastern Colorado this Saturday, Aug. 10. Ensight is a state project of the Colorado Lions Clubs and is committed to finding new ways to improve the lives of people living with low vision.

Low vision is usually the result of macular degeneration among the older population but refers to anyone whose vision cannot be medically corrected to enable him to see better. Ensight provides these individuals the opportunity to enhance their skills in daily living, independence and self-confidence in a safe environment through training and adaptive devices.

There are nonprofit Ensight Skills Centers in Fort Collins and Greeley, but they want to reach out to the underserved people with these vision problems in the six counties in northeastern Colorado.

The plan is to take the van to the Heritage Center in Sterling on a regular basis as transportation is a problem for those with vision problems. The van is a self-contained mobile skills center.

The van is outfitted with eye exam equipment and assessment tools with an optometrist on board. This is not in competition with local optometrists as these clients’ vision cannot be medically corrected. This is where the accompanying occupational therapist comes in. She will train the low vision person to use the many adaptive devices the van carries to enhance their daily lives even with the handicap of not being able to see well.

The public is invited to check it out for themselves after the Logan County Fair parade when the van will be parked at the fairgrounds in Sterling. The Executive director of Ensight, Lion Denny Moyer, who herself suffers from low vision, and the outreach coordinator Melody Glinsman will be on hand to show off the van and to answer all questions.

The Ensight van was purchased using a grant from Lions Clubs International Foundation and was supported by the Colorado Lions.